Cleanliness is golden, especially when it comes to your kitchen! The outside of your cabinets most likely gets a regular wipe-down. Like a person’s personality, it is the inside that counts since cabinets hold your food, cooking and eating utensils, and the dishes you use daily. The question is, what do you use to clean the inside?
You could use different substances to clean kitchen cabinets, including regular dish soap, a baking soda and water mixture, white vinegar, a baking soda and white vinegar solution, or an all-purpose cleaner. You can use a non-abrasive dishcloth or a sponge along with these substances.
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To get the inside of your cabinet squeaky clean, you have a few choices on what to use, so we’ll have a look at all of them, how to use them, and what makes it a good cleaning option. Furthermore, we will look at the steps to cleaning the cabinet’s interior, some tips for keeping them spotless, and how to clean them after an insect infestation.
What To Use To Clean Inside Cabinets
From a regular clean to a sticky mess, your kitchen cabinets need a wash regularly to stay sanitary. Multiple substances will polish up cabinets, so we’ll look at each and see what properties they have that make them viable options.
Dish Soap To Clean Inside Cabinets
Dish soap is not just for dishes! It is an everyday substance in the house and works just fine as a cabinet cleaner. You can dilute the dish soap with two parts of water and use it with a dampened soft cloth or sponge to wipe down the cabinet’s shelves and walls. You can keep the dish soap mixture in a spritzer bottle. Although you can mix dish soap with water, you can also use it independently.
Dish soap is readily available and has the properties to break down dirt, so if you don’t have anything else on hand, this substance may serve you well. After wiping the cabinets, you should take a rinsed-out cloth to wipe the dish soap residue, and voila, your kitchen cupboards will be clean!
Baking Soda To Clean Inside Cabinets
The next option to clean the inside of cabinets is baking soda, a baking agent that works decently as a cleaning substance. Who knew? You’ll need to mix two baking soda parts with one water ratio and wipe the surfaces with it using a cloth or sponge. You can leave the baking soda paste to settle for a few minutes before wiping it off, and for tough, dirty spots, we recommend using an old toothbrush to scrub it.
Baking soda is budget friendly and all-purpose, so you can use the baking soda solution to clean more than just your cabinets! Mixing white vinegar with baking soda can double the cleaning effectiveness. Baking soda breaks down grease and other dirt because it is an alkali, so science is on your side with this option.
Baking Soda And White Vinegar Mixture To Clean Inside Cabinets
You can mix one part vinegar with two parts baking soda to create a paste to clean the inside of your cabinets. The acid in vinegar reacts with baking soda and releases carbon dioxide gas to lift dirt from surfaces. This mixture will work well to get rid of dirt or stains and disinfects everything in the process too!
You can use the paste with a damp cloth or sponge, and for the harsher dirt spots, you can leave the paste to settle on them before washing it off. White vinegar can discolor certain surfaces like wood, so be sure only to let it rest on the tough spots.
White Vinegar To Clean Inside Cabinets
Vinegar is an excellent stain remover, especially if dish soap doesn’t do the trick. You can mix it with a one-to-one water ratio if you want so that it’s not as harsh on the surface and for the vinegar to last longer.
You can fill a spray bottle with a vinegar mixture to make your life easier. Sprits or use a damp cloth to spread the vinegar on the cabinet’s interior and then wipe it off with a clean, dampened cloth. Again, it would be best if you were careful with the vinegar option as it can discolor your cabinets, so it works best with laminate surfaces.
All-purpose Cleaner To Clean Inside Cabinets
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The market is flocked with cleaning detergents to clean your kitchen, including the inside of your cabinets. You can use a liquid or cream detergent; make sure that the one you choose is meant to be used for kitchen surfaces and is non-toxic. An all-purpose cleaner can go a long way to leave the cabinet interior squeaky clean.
You can also leave this cleaner to sit for a couple of minutes before cleaning it off. Many people like to opt for natural substances for cleaning; although store-bought detergents work perfectly, the dish soap, baking soda, and vinegar options work just as well.
The Steps To Cleaning Inside Cabinets
Cleaning up the interior of your cabinets is simple, but we’ve outlined the steps to ensure you don’t miss anything! You’ll want to grab your vacuum, a couple of dishcloths, an old toothbrush, and your choice of cleaning detergent to get started.
The first step to cleaning your cabinets is to get rid of dust; otherwise, you’ll struggle once the dust mixes with water and detergents. Once you’ve removed everything from the inside, you can use a vacuum or a dry cloth to remove all loose dirt.
Once you’ve picked your cleaning agent and gotten rid of dust, you can spread the agent around the inside of the cabinets using a spritzer for more liquid-type cleaners or a damp cloth or sponge for paste-like substances. When using a sponge or cloth, make sure it is not too wet, or you run the risk of water damage, especially when it comes to wood.
Dealing with stained and greasy spots can seem challenging, but you can scrub them with an old toothbrush. Don’t use the toothbrush for the entire surface, and don’t apply too much pressure, as it can leave scratches.
Once you’ve spread the cleaning substance onto the cabinets, besides the vinegar options, you can leave it for about three minutes to maximize its cleaning and sanitizing abilities. When you’re ready to wipe off the detergent, use a new dampened cloth, as using the same one won’t clean up properly.
The final step to cleaning inside your cabinets is to use a dry cloth to soak up any remaining water or detergent, and voilà, your cabinets are clean!
Tips For Cleaning Inside Your Cabinets
Now that you know of the multiple cleaning substances, we can look at some other considerations when cleaning the inside of your cabinets. Although some substances clean well, you must be careful with some of them, or you could damage your cabinets.
The dishcloth you use needs to be non-abrasive because it can cause damage if it is too rough. Your best bet is a microfiber cloth since it is soft and absorbent. Microfiber cloths are great for wood and other surfaces because they leave a polished finish.
To make cleaning cabinets easier and to protect them, you can install a cabinet lining. Cabinet lining will prevent freshly washed dishes from warping the shelf because of water and make the surface easier to clean. You can buy specialized cabinet shelf liners or laminated contact paper to line them. You can also have fun when choosing a liner and find pretty prints!
You can further protect your cabinets by using furniture wax to form a protective lining that prevents dirt from sticking and stops water from seeping into them. You should use a thin coat of wax, allow it to dry for 10 minutes, and then buff it with a soft dry cloth. You only need to apply the wax onto the cabinets once a year, as it lasts a long time.
For smaller hard-to-reach corners and crevices, you can utilize Q-tips. Dirt collects quickly in these spots, so you’ll want to ensure you get to them to keep everything sanitary. You can also use a toothbrush for these hard-to-reach places, so dip it into your cleaning solution and swipe the corners.
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What should you do with cabinets that have inset glass? You can use white vinegar or a standard glass cleaner or surface cleaner by spreading it onto the glass inside and out and then wiping it off with a microfiber cloth. You can then proceed to polish the glass with paper towels or newspaper. Please ensure not to use a standard dishcloth as it will scratch the surface, and don’t use oil-based cleansers.
It would help if you kept your cabinets closed as often as possible to prevent dirt from getting in. If food messes, you should wipe it up as soon as it does to keep everything sanitary and prevent stains or attracting any bugs.
How Often To Clean Inside Your Cabinets
You probably wipe down the outside of your cabinets often as it is what you see most, but the inside is just as essential to keep spotless. You may not need to deep clean the cabinet’s interior daily, but you still need to clean regularly. So how often should you clean?
It is a great effort to remove everything from your cabinets, but you only need to do a deep clean seasonally, so around every three months. If you want to be extra hygienic, you can clean more often and focus more on the cabinets where you store your food.
How To Clean Inside Cabinets If There Is An Insect Infestation
Bugs are the worst! General cleaning should keep crawling critters out of your cabinets, but sometimes it just happens and may leave you frazzled. Not to worry, there are a few things you can do.
The best cure is prevention, so you should always store your food items in airtight containers. You should also regularly check the expiration dates of your food items so that nothing goes rotten that would attract insects. Ants are common culprits, so keep your sweet things safe and ensure your cabinets get adequately proofed, so there are no gaps for them to sneak through.
Another preventative measure is disinfecting your cabinets as often as you deep clean them. Apple cider vinegar acts as a great natural disinfectant. You’ll want to mix the apple cider vinegar with an equal part of warm water, a squeeze of dish soap, and a pinch of salt. You can use this disinfectant after wiping off your cleaning detergent and leave it to settle for ten minutes before cleaning it off.
You can also use bleach to disinfect inside cabinets. You’ll need to use a 3/4 cup of bleach in a bucket of water and wipe it on all the interior surfaces with a damp cloth. You should also use this disinfectant step after wiping off the cleaning detergent. You must always wear rubber gloves when using bleach to protect your hands.
If insects have invaded, the best option is to call pest control, as that will guarantee that the problem will get solved and done in a way that isn’t toxic. Once the bugs have gotten exterminated, you’ll need to give your cabinets a deep clean.
You will need to wait before cleaning the cabinets so the pesticides don’t get removed too soon. Be sure to ask your exterminator when the most appropriate time is to clean up the interior of your cabinets and the rest of your kitchen, as they would know best.
Conclusion
You can use dish soap, baking soda, white vinegar, a baking soda and white vinegar mix, or an all-purpose cleaner along with a microfiber or soft cloth to wipe down the interior of your cabinets. Additionally, a vacuum can remove dust before cleaning, and you can scrub tough spots with a toothbrush.
You should clean your cabinet’s interiors every two to three months and use a disinfectant to prevent a bug infestation. Now you know how to keep your cabinets spotless!
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Source: https://gardencourte.com
Categories: Kitchens
